|
News Release
August 23, 2007
New Interactive Learning Center at Boise State University
Built to Enhance the Student, Teaching Experience
Students at Boise State University will experience a building like no other
when they return to classes on Monday. Boise State celebrated the official
opening today of the Interactive Learning Center, a new $14 million,
54,000-square-foot classroom building that was designed to help fulfill both
the teaching and research missions of a growing metropolitan university.
The ILC will support the latest in technology with 12 general use
classrooms, multi-media labs, a distance-learning classroom, a classroom for
research and innovation and even a 3-D visualization classroom.
“The ILC represents a significant part of the central vision for Boise State
as we move toward our goal of becoming a metropolitan university of
distinction, one distinguished by a strong sense of community and excellence
in student learning,” said Boise State President Bob Kustra. “It is all
about fostering interaction among students, between students and
instructors, and among faculty members. Research has demonstrated the
importance of this interaction and how it serves to integrate students into
the university community and foster increased retention and persistence.”
Unlike most multi-story academic buildings, there was no template for the
four-story ILC — each floor was individually designed with cutting-edge,
concrete slab construction and oversized glass panels that allow for an open
interior.
“The building was really a research project in itself,” said Stacy Pearson,
vice president for finance and administration. “Our challenge was to design
spaces that would support all of the interactions that will take place
there.”
The ILC is also home to the newly formed Center for Teaching and Learning at
Boise State. Director Susan Shadle said the center’s primary purpose is to
provide faculty with resources and support for growth, reflection and
innovation in teaching.
“The ILC will be a destination where faculty will go not just to teach a
class, but also to meet, eat and connect with one another and with
students,” Shadle said. “The building has a lot of gathering spaces and the
classrooms are open and integrated into the rest of the building. It helps
send the message that all of our activities are connected.”
The ILC capitalizes on the unique capabilities brought to the learning
environment by technology. It is built to enhance the teaching and learning
experience with movable seating in all rooms; automatic video classroom
capture (where the instructor audio, a video of the instructor and the
output of the display computer are captured digitally and published to the
Web); break-out rooms that provide spaces for students to meet in small
groups to work on class projects; a digital projects studio where students
and faculty have access to special computer workstations and software; a
videoconferencing classroom; and a 3-D visualization laboratory/theater
where faculty and students can work together to produce and view stereo
3-D imagery of large research data sets, create immersive stereo 3-D
environments and generate interactive 3-D simulations for both instruction
and research.
The ILC is located next to the Multipurpose Classroom Building on the west
end of campus and is the first building outlined in Boise State’s 2005
Campus Master Plan to be completed. The grand opening of the ILC was one of
several events planned in August and September to celebrate Boise State’s
75th anniversary. For a complete schedule, visit
www.boisestate.edu/diamondyear.
-30-
Contact: Stacy Pearson, Finance and Administration, (208) 426-1200,
spearson@boisestate.edu; Susan
Shadle, Center for Teaching and Learning, (208) 426-3153,
sshadle@boisestate.edu
Media Contact: Sherry Squires, University Communications, (208)
426-1563, ssquires@boisestate.edu
Boise State University celebrates its 75th anniversary this fall. From
its founding on Sept. 6, 1932, the institution has evolved from a small
church-sponsored college in a downtown schoolhouse to a metropolitan
research university of distinction with about 19,000 students. Visit
boisestate.edu and click on the “75” button for more information.
The Office of Communications and Marketing - Boise State
University
1910 University Drive - Boise Idaho 83725-1030
Located in Capitol Village, 2225 W. University Drive
email
communications@boisestate.edu
Last reviewed on
Monday, August 27, 2007
|